Cass Regional Medical Center | Wellness Matters | Spring 2018

After the meeting: w w The plan will contact you to make sure you want to join and that you understand how the plan works. w w The agent who helped you join the plan can call you to talk about other plan options. Source: Medicare.gov Help fight Medicare fraud Know the rules for Medicare health plans People representing Medicare plans aren’t allowed to: Rules for meeting with an agent w w Ask for your personal information (like your Medicare, Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers) over the phone unless it’s needed to verify membership, determine enrollment eligibility or process an enrollment request. w w Come to your home uninvited to sell or endorse any Medicare-related product. w w Call you unless you’re already a member of the plan. If you’re a member, the agent who helped you join can call you. w w Require you to speak to a sales agent to get information about the plan. w w Offer you cash (or gifts worth more than $15) to join their plan or give you free meals during a sales pitch for a Medicare health or drug plan. w w Enroll you into a plan, in general, over the phone unless you call them and ask to enroll. w w Ask you for payment over the phone or web. The plan must send you a bill. w w Tell you that they’re Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) policies. w w Sell you a non-health-related product, like an annuity or life insurance policy, during a sales pitch for a Medicare health or drug plan. w w Make an appointment to tell you about their plan unless you agree in writing or through a recorded phone discussion to the products being discussed. During the appointment, they can only try to sell you the products you agreed to hear about. w w Talk to you about their plan in areas where you get health care, like an exam room, hospital patient room or pharmacy counter. w w Market their plans or enroll you during an educational event like a health fair or conference. Independent agents and brokers selling plans must be licensed by the state, and the plan must tell the state which agents are selling their plans. If you’re going to meet with an agent, the agent must follow all the rules for Medicare plans and some specific rules for meeting with you. During the meeting, Medicare plans and people who work with Medicare can: w w Give you plan materials. w w Tell you how to get more plan information. w w Tell you about the plan options you agreed to discuss. w w Give you an enrollment form. w w Collect your completed enrollment form. w w Leave business cards for you to give to friends and family. During the meeting, Medicare plans and people who work with Medicare can’t: w w Charge you a fee to process your enrollment into a plan. w w Steer you into a particular plan. w w Communicate incorrect information about their plan type or use inappropriate statements, like saying their plan is “the best” or “highest ranked.” w w Tell you about other plan options you haven’t agreed to discuss, unless you specifically ask about them (to discuss these options, you need to complete a separate appointment form). w w Pressure you to join their plan by saying things like, “You have to join this plan, or you won’t have coverage next year.” w w Ask you to give names and phone numbers or addresses so they can sell to your friends or family. w w Ask you to sign the enrollment form before you’re ready to join. HOW TO REPORT A PLAN THAT DOESN’T FOLLOW THE RULES: w w Call 1-800-MEDICARE ( 1-800-633-4227 ). w w Call the Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor (MEDIC) at 1-877-7SAFERX ( 1-877-772-3379 ). Wellness Matters | Spring 2018 3